femageorge spencer: fromy leavsadness to satisfaction, the deep and unexpected feelings of love from family members who've opened their lives to a child or teen in need of foster care. many say it's life-changing, and today, the need is urgent. movie magic, a local critic reveals favorite pics for the upcoming oscars. and refund warning, a new spin on an old irs refund scam has snagged thousands of victims in just a few days. we'll tell you how to avoid getting taken. male announcer: "nbc10@issue" starts now. george: and good morning, i'm george spencer for "nbc10@issue." today, we begin with a call to lend a hand, a push for people in our area with big hearts who are willing

to lend a hand to children and teens is taking on new urgency. right now, the city has more than 5,000 children in foster care, but the network of foster parents needs backup. i recently talked to advocates who are casting a wide net for new support. kimberly ali: hi, i'm good, how are you doing? george: for kimberly ali, these office hallways are the frontlines of her department's newest battle, the battle to recruit a new generation of foster parents. kimberly: we just need the help. we need the help, our young people need the help. george: ali's team is responsible for every step in the foster care process for 5,000 plus philly kids. the work has changed dramatically in recent years. after the child sex abuse case of jerry sandusky, state laws were tightened and the number of calls to ali's child abuse hotline sky rocketed. kimberly: we used to have about 21,000 calls

to our hotline. now, we're up to 34,000 calls. george: not all of those calls end up with a child in foster care, but when they do, more than half of kids are placed with a relative, and older youth like teenagers need homes too. ultimately, most children end up reunifying with their biological families, but each year about 600 are formally adopted by a new family. ali says her department has worked hard to keep up, placing abused and neglected kids in foster care only when it's absolutely necessary. but the network of foster parents has been stretched thin, and now a new crop of willing adults is desperately needed to fill the gaps. ali's emphasis is on flexibility and diversity. you can't have a criminal or child abuse record, but aside from that, dhs wants all types, young and old, well off and working class. and there's a special need for foster parents who could create

an understanding environment for lgbt youth. kimberly: there's myths out there. you do not have to be married to be a foster parent. you don't have to own your own home to be a foster parent. we want you just to love the child. george: that love really is the essence of all of this. so, nbc 10 and telemundo 62 are partnering with dhs to be part of the solution. we're hoping that the more people that know about foster parenting, the more they'll want to participate. with me now is the commissioner for the philadelphia department of human services, cynthia figueroa. and cynthia, want to kind of start at the beginning in terms of how we arrived in this place where you guys are looking for more foster parents. how did we get here? cynthia figueroa: well, certainly we know that a number of years ago, in the wake of the sandusky law changes, there was 24 changes, and we had a huge influx of new reporting, which is helpful, but it also meant we had a tremendous increase of kids coming into the system, which meant there was a strain on the existing foster care

resources that we had for families. george: so, it's really this sense that the foster care network, as we heard, really kind of pushed to its limit. tell me about this new push that you guys are focused on now. what's the idea behind recruiting new parents? cynthia: recruitment is really we believe we need more resources, and we want the appropriate resources. so, we want to make sure that whatever child is coming in, and the type of home or the special needs that that child has, that we have the appropriate resource for them. so that if we have a family who wants a younger child, or a family wants an older child, that we're making those best connections. george: and it's got to be when both sides of the equation are happiest, that's got to be the best match. cynthia: that's correct. so, we don't want by happenstance or because these are the only resources that we have, that we have to make tough decisions. george: so, you have a moment to speak to potential foster parents. what do you say? cynthia: that we need you. we can't alone as a system address the issues of children in the community. and we know that the community is full of amazing homes, amazing families who want to give back to children who can

support us in really making the difference in the life of a child. george: i know that casting a wide net is important to you guys, right? you all want even people who might think traditionally, "i wouldn't make a good foster parent," right? think outside the box. cynthia: yes, think outside-- everybody thinks you have to be married. you don't, you could be single. people think you need to own a home, you don't. you could be renting a home. we're looking for folks who really are--want to be welcoming and opening their home to a child. george: so, all different types of families. cynthia: all different types of families. george: thanks very much, cynthia. one thing that we are seeing is that families become foster parents for so many different reasons, as you were referencing. for some, it is the memory of their own time in foster care. and for others, it is a deep desire to give back. that's what nbc 10's vai sikahema discovered when he met the martinez family. vai sikahema: the martinez home in northeast philadelphia on most mornings is like any other home, mom making breakfast, with kids and dad helping out to make sure

everything's ready for the most important meal of the day. the martinez's take a moment to express thanksgiving. so many off their blessings have come from fostering siblings so they aren't separated. sheina martinez: we have a son and we have a daughter, and we thought about it as if our kids were ever to enter into the foster care system, someone better take both of them. we would want the same for these kids coming in. vai: andy is a firefighter and sheina's a social worker. they wanted a big family, but after two kids, it just wasn't in the cards. but as jade and andre got old enough, their parents asked them if they were open to having foster siblings. andy martinez: and they were like, "yeah, that sounds good." biggest thing was that god blessed us with this home, and we were humbled by it when we first--this is our first home, so we wanted to bless other people. vai: they view their foster children and siblings as their own family. their pictures are on the family blessing wall. in fact, the first foster kids they took in were three siblings under age five, two in diapers.

female: it was really, like, hard to let them go, so whenever they leave, it's really hard. male: the coolest thing was having a brother 'cause i've always wanted a brother. sheina: this is a blanket that my husband bought me a couple mother's day ago back when we were a family of eight kids. and this now needs to not be eight, it needs to be ten. george: that was nbc 10's vai sikahema reporting. joining the conversation now are sheina martinez, who we just saw in vai's story. in addition to being a foster parent, sheina is a foster care recruiter for bethany christian services. and also with us this morning, cecilia rivas. cecilia is with the philadelphia department of human services. she coordinates resources for parent recruitment. guys, thanks to both of you for being here with us. i have a question just to start out that i think will apply to both of you. when you talk to foster parents across the city, what are they telling you about their experience

and the benefits of doing this work? cecilia? cecilia rivas: there--what i hear from resource parents is that the most rewarding aspect is just seeing the kids blossom. you know, the children come to them having been through so much, and they see the progress in the children, and they know that that's because of the great parenting that they've provided. george: and sheina, you actually do some of this work yourself. what does it mean to you? how has it personally changed your life? sheina: it's been an amazing experience seeing these children come from sometimes challenging homes and just, you know, seeing and witnessing many things, and coming and sometimes they're scared at first or nervous. and so, we just try to act normal, give them a normal life until it is time for them to go home. george: you're trying to let the kids be kids really i think must be a lot of what the effort is with all of this. cecilia, for you, you talk to a lot of resource parents

as you call them, what concerns do they come to you with, i mean, that you could begin to answer? i mean, what's the biggest concern that they arrive with? cecilia: they worry about, you know, whether they can do it alone. and they don't have to do it alone. there is so much support available to people who are interested in becoming resource parents. so, before you ever take in a child, you go through training. if you might be taking in children with medical issues or teenagers, you go through specialized training to teach you about those specific things. and then once you have a child or children in your home, you have a case manager that's available, and comes and visits with you, and counsels you on caring for the child. you have 24/7 support, you have dhs support with education, with healthcare. so, there's just--there's a lot behind you-- george: so, this idea that you don't have to do it alone, that really the way a lot of families would have sort of an extended family network, grandparents, that sort of thing, you all kind of have that built in in the work that you do.

cecilia: yes. and we see resource parents relying on their own extended network as well, you know? george: sure. sheina, for you, as somebody who's--who you told me you live this and you work this, what is the biggest misconception that people have about the work of a foster parent, a resource parent? what do they get wrong? sheina: i think that they get wrong that they take it personally, and they're like, "oh, i'm going to foster a child, and then i'm going to have to let them go." and my husband and i have fostered eight children, and while they have all been either adopted, reunified, or went with their relatives, we still visit them. they still visit us. so, it's not a love and let go thing. we become a bigger family. george: and when--and you say eight children whose lives you've touched. first of all, thank you. and second of all, what is their experience of this? i mean, what do you see them living during the time they're with you? sheina: love, stability, structure, someone being honest

with them about what's going to happen next. they really need honesty. this is not something that we can hide, so just being very honest. george: kind of the things that a typical family would ideally provide. cecilia, i mean, what about the kids--you know, we're on this big push to recruit new foster parents, give some current foster parents a break. i think a lot of people may wonder, "what if there's not someone to take a child in in the city of philadelphia?" is that a problem that we're facing right now? cecilia: it happens sometimes. and we do have resource parents who take in children on an emergency basis while we look for more permanent homes, and that's something that we're trying to recruit for as well is people who maybe can't take in a child long-term, but can fill that need for just a little while while we find a great home long-term. george: and i think the big effort behind a lot of this push, as i've heard it, is really trying to give these parents who've been working and fostering for a long time, give them a breather, right? in the way that any other parent would need a breather.

cecilia: yeah, yeah. cynthia: and if we don't have an opportunity to place them in a home, it's the unfortunate situation where we might have to place them in an institutional setting, or a group home or a residential setting, and that's really a last, last resort. so, the more resource families that we have, the less likely we're in a situation where we have to place a child in a non-home based setting. george: right, very good, offering that real family setting. well, the most important thing we want to lead people with today, on thursday, march 1, nbc 10 and telemundo 62 will host a foster care phone bank. we will have experts available to answer any phone questions you have about becoming a foster family. they'll be able to talk to you one on one about the cost of fostering, the process, and anything else that you want to know. thank you guys so much for being here, thank you for the work that you're doing on behalf of the children in philadelphia. appreciate it, thanks very much. ♪

next on "nbc10@issue," what you could be missing at the box office. we'll discuss this year's top films that nobody knows about. ♪

george: if you are not familiar with some of this year's top movies, you are not alone. several films nominated for next week's academy awards have flown at least a little bit under the radar. so, now is your chance to take a peek at what you may have missed. with me now is film critic piers marchant. marchant's a member of the philadelphia film critics circle. thanks very much for being here, piers. your list of your sort of your top three favorite films of this year begins with one that maybe at least some folks out there have not necessarily heard of, "phantom thread." let's take a quick look. male: you look beautiful, very beautiful. george: so, give me your read, piers, on "phantom thread."

what's the story here? piers: "phantom thread" is made by arguably one of the best american directors working today, it's paul thomas anderson. it's a strange film about strange characters that fall in love and support each other in ways that we can't even conceive of. it's not dissimilar from an earlier film of anderson's called "punch drunk love," which starred adam sandler and emily watson. george: a lot of people have heard of, yeah. piers: and it also was kind of off putting. george: so, your next favorite film nominated for best picture, this is one that people have been talking about a lot, "call me by your name." let's take a quick preview of that film. male: so, what do you do around here? male: read books, transcribe music, swim at the river, go out at night. male: sounds fun. male: all right, later. george: tell me about this one then, piers. what's attracting audience this year? piers: well, first of all, it is a beautifully shot love story. george: just the video is very nice. piers: it's a stunning film to look at. it's about these two young men who fall in love, it's set in northern italy in the early '80s.

and it's a beautiful, funny, sweet film throughout the movie. it stars timothee chalamet, who's nominated for best actor, and armie hammer is the slightly older man that he falls in love with. and michael stuhlbarg plays his father, who is absolutely wonderful in it. the whole film is wonderful, but then in the last act, it becomes this deeply emotionally affecting movie. michael stuhlbarg has a monologue that is just one for the ages right towards the end of the film, where he's comforting his broken-hearted son. and the film's last shot, which focuses on timothee chalemet's face as he's staring into a fire and going through every emotion of a love affair and its breakup, is absolutely riveting. george: a lot of people talking about that one. let's take a look at another nominated film, "ladybird." let's have a look. female: i want to go where culture is, like new york-- female: how in the world did i raise such a snob? female: at least connecticut or new hampshire, where writers live in the woods. female: won't get into those schools anyway. george: what is it about "ladybird," piers?

piers: it's a film made by greta gerwig, who is an actress and a writer. she's been around for quite some time. she's worked with noah baumbach a lot, but this is her first solo directorial debut. and the truth is it's a sort of nostalgia trip for millennials. it's set in 2003 in sacramento. it's a coming of age story, but it has--it stars saoirse ronan, who's also nominated for best actress award. it's about a very particular character at a very particular time. george: and what makes it stand out then? piers: the quality of the writing is one thing, the performances are amazing. laurie metcalf, who's also nominated for best supporting actress in the film, is wonderful. the whole film works as one big, beautiful coming of age story that feels complete at the end. george: now, you do have one favorite film that's actually been overlooked by the academy. let's take a quick look now at "ghost story." female: when i was little, we used to move all the time.

i'd write these notes and i'd fold them up really small, and i'd hide them. george: so, tell me about "ghost story." why did this get overlooked? why do you like it? piers: this is a bit of a tough sell, i've got to admit. it's a--it's a strange film. anyone who goes there goes to-- george: it looks it just by our preview here. piers: anyone who thinks that this is a horror movie is completely barking up the wrong tree. what it is is a sort of slow moving meditation on the idea of time and human legacy. it stars rooney mara and casey affleck. casey affleck's character dies very early in the movie, and as you could see in the clip, returns as an actual ghost with a sheet over his head and eye holes cut out. and yet, the movie is incredibly deeply moving and affecting. george: all right, so it's not actually nominated, but i obviously can't let you leave here without talking about one film. it's become one of the hottest films to see right now,

"black panther." let's take a look. female: it's now or never. male: hi. hey. george: so, piers, what is it about this one that is just attracting so much buzz, especially on social media? piers: well, it hits in so many different areas and successfully. it's a superhero movie, it's got a lot of action in it. it's beautiful to look at. there's cgi effects, but they're believable. the whole thing works as a superhero movie. it also is obviously a watershed moment for african-american cinema. it's directed by ryan coogler, black director. it's written by a black screenwriter. the cast is largely black, and yet it connects with all audiences all over the place. george: it's resonating with a lot of other people. piers: and it's a feminist film. the two female characters in it, played by lupita nyong'o and danai gurira, are just as fierce and dedicated to their country and their cause as the male heroes.

george: plays well with a lot of audiences. piers marchant, thank you very much for your time. lots to watch with the academy coming up in just a few days at this point. next on "nbc10@issue," a new tax refund scam that could steal victims' money and get them in hot water with the law.

and then pocketing your refund. experts cite this scam as another example of how brazen thieves have become, but this scam has the potential to get its victims in big trouble too. details from nbc's chris clackum. chris clackum: if a big fat refund check from the irs unexpectedly shows up in your mailbox or it gets deposited into your bank account, don't you dare try to cash it. kelly erb: and if you don't actually return it to irs, you could get in trouble-- chris: tax lawyer kelly phillips erb, who calls herself the tax girl and writes for forbes,

says you're likely a victim of the latest tax scam, where thieves file a bogus return using your identity, have the refund sent to you or your account, then call to try to con you out of it. kelly: and they either pose as irs or a debt collector associated with irs. they will tell you that there's a refund that you're not entitled to that is in your account or in your mailbox. and they give you instructions to return it, but it gets returned not to irs, but to the thieves. chris: talking to us via skype, erb says the irs just detected the scam around february 1 after a few hundred complaints from taxpayers. kelly: apparently, it is in the tens of thousands of taxpayers that have been affected by this scam, so it's growing really rapidly. chris: and if it grows rapidly your way, erb reminds you the irs will never contact you by phone, but you can go to its website to learn how to contact them.

chris clackum, nbc news. george: the us department of justice says the irs never discusses personal tax issues through unsolicited emails, or texts, or over social media. also, always be wary if you're contacted by someone claiming to be from the irs who says you owe money. we'll be right back.

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march 1, nbc 10 and telemundo 62 will have experts available and ready to answer any phone questions you have about becoming a foster parent. they'll talk to you one on one about the cost of fostering, the process, and anything else you may want to know. that's it for this edition of "nbc10@issue." i'm george spencer, thanks for watching, and have a great sunday. ♪

olympics on nbc. the nhl central. if you're going to win this division, you're going to need a lot of skill, a high pain threshold and resilience. earlier in the season, the st. louis blues had that, winning 9 of 11 at one point and leading the division but the current kings of the mean spirited central are the guys in nashville, the good in nashville. they got to the stanley cup last year and taken 14 out of 20 and showing no signs of being anything but a threat with their